Church leader: Scouting should be open to gays

Neil Vigdor

Updated 10:22 pm, Tuesday, February 5, 2013

The Rev. Maxwell Grant, senior minister of Second Congregational Church in Greenwich.

Photo: Contributed Photo

The Rev. Maxwell Grant, senior minister of Second Congregational...

Members of the Greenwich Council of Boy Scouts America's Troop 9, the oldest Greenwich troop, pose upon receiving their Eagle Scout designation, the highest scouting honor, in 1921. Pictured, from left, are Whiteman Reynolds, Haldane Huckel, Frank Snell and George Snell.

The Greenwich house of worship that is home to one of the country's oldest Boy Scout troops gave its blessing Tuesday to opening membership ranks and mentoring roles to gays, a departure from the long-standing sexual orientation policy at the national level.

"We'd be looking to encourage the Boy Scouts to include families of all shapes and sizes," said the Rev. Maxwell Grant, senior minister of Second Congregational Church, the charter organization for Troop 9 in Greenwich.

Grant's comments came on the eve of a meeting of the Boy Scouts of America executive board at its Irving, Texas, headquarters to deliberate on the future of the controversial ban on gays.

The national organization could defer to local charter groups on whether to accept gays in Scouting activities.

In Greenwich, there are about 30 to 40 different Scouting units chartered by churches, PTAs, veterans halls and even the Police Department through its Police Cadet Program.

The Greenwich Council is steeped in tradition, having celebrated its centennial in 2012. Its first president was Ernest Thompson Seton, the founder of the BSA and a naturalist and author.

Malcolm Pray Jr., the Greenwich auto magnate and a staunch supporter of the Scouts, accused the national organization of trying to pass the buck.

"We've had gay groups for many years trying to destroy the Boy Scouts," Pray said. "I don't think the national council should leave it up to regional organizations. It should be a national policy."

A member of the Boy Scouts since 1938 who has served on the board of the Greenwich Council for 40 years, Pray said that the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the BSA is a private organization and can set its membership criteria.

"Look at the problems the Catholic Church has had in recent years with the negative aspects of homosexual groups," Pray said. "This thing has been kicking (around) for years."

First Selectman Peter Tesei, who serves on the board of the Greenwich Council and is the town's chief elected official, drew an analogy to workplace protections.

"Personally speaking, I would say that the organization should apply the same standard as businesses and employers do in hiring and recruitment, whereby your orientation is not a precursor to becoming a member," Tesei said. "That's how I look at it in terms of conforming to more modern standards that are in place throughout workplaces."

Tesei emphasized that he was not speaking on behalf of the Greenwich Council, but as an individual.

Police Chief James Heavey, a fellow board member of the Greenwich Council, said he wanted to wait for the national organization to make a decision before commenting on the situation.

Selectman Drew Marzullo, the first openly gay person to hold townwide office in Greenwich, urged the council to lead by example with a uniform policy of equality.

"If they truly believe bigotry on any level should no longer be tolerated, then that should be set policy, not leaving it up to local discretion," Marzullo said. "Examination of this discriminatory policy is long overdue."

Marzullo couched his comments to say that he holds the BSA in high esteem and that he was once a Cub Scout.

"There's no question that the Boy Scouts have contributed in a positive way to the youth of America," Marzullo said.

All three houses of worship have chartered Boy Scout troops. That latter two are Catholic parishes.

At Second Congregational Church, which was founded in 1705 and once hosted George Washington, Grant said there was a solid turnout this past weekend for Scout Sunday, when Troop 9 members are part of the worship service.

"Our denomination, the United Church of Christ, the Congregationalists who founded the state of Connecticut, are known to have a long-standing commitment to (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender) equality and support same-sex marriage," Grant said. "We view that as consistent with our denomination and its teachings and its witness on all of these issues."